Patriots are hoping history repeats itself

The New England Patriots are going to the AFC Championship Game. Do not pinch yourself – this is not a dream. And if it is, don't wake me up.

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The most optimistic predictions had the Patriots winning nine or ten games. Those predictions were not based on the Patriots having a very good team, necessarily, but was more reflective of New England having one of the easiest schedules in the NFL.

As it turns out the Patriots won 14 games during the regular season. After two playoff wins, they are now up to 16 wins this year. They'd like to finish the season with 18 – enough to tie with the 2007 undefeated regular season Patriots for most combined wins, regular season and playoffs, for any Patriots team. It would only be the fifth time in NFL history a team has won 18 games – joining the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1998 Denver Broncos, and those 2007 New England Patriots.

That is some heady company. It is just remarkable to think when you top to think about it.

The Patriots punched their ticket to the AFC Championship Game thanks to a dominating defensive performance against the Houston Texans, 28-16. And yet still you hear the whispers that the Patriots have gotten lucky this year because of the quality of their opponents – even after two playoff wins.

That "criticism" is being compounded with the news that Bo Nix will miss the AFC Championship Game with a fractured ankle sustained on the second-to-last play of last week's victory over the Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots went from being a +1.5 underdog to now a -5.5 favorite in a lot of sportsbooks, making them a prohibitive favorite to make it to the Super Bowl. Yet, they are still "lucky"?

That is what people are still saying.

There is nothing the Patriots can do to change people's views. The fact remains – if the Patriots go on to win the Super Bowl, people 20 years from now won't remember how difficult or easy New England's schedule was this year. Do you know how easy Denver's schedule was in 1998? Me neither.

The Patriots have taken care of business by beating the team that lines up across from them on the field every week. That is all they can do. And they have done it convincingly, almost every single week and they've done it with class and through teamwork.

That is the beauty of this team is that they are so likable. What a contrast from just one year ago when receivers were griping about not getting the ball and coaches were blaming each other and the players.

Look at Drake Maye's reaction after the game-clinching fourth down break up of a desperation deep pass that was broken down up by – of all people – Robert Spillane. No fist pump. No jump in the air. No high-fives.

No one dumped Gatorade on Mike Vrabel like the players did to Jerod Mayo after a Week One victory last year against Cincinnati.

Maye knows there is still work to be done. Maye is fully aware of his role as the team leader.

It is an amazingly mature attitude coming from a 23-year-old who is in his first full season as the starting quarterback of the most successful franchise in NFL history. He understands he is the leader of this team and that others are watching him and how he reacts.

It is this kind of an attitude and approach that will be the reason the Patriots beat the Broncos next Sunday. It won't be the fact that Jarrett Stidham will be taking snaps under center instead of Bo Nix.

The Patriots would beat the Broncos even with Nix. I'm almost mad that Nix won't play because it will give critics reason to bash even when the Patriots are in the Super Bowl.

This is the NFL. We see it all the time. Any given Sunday is a saying for a reason. Teams don't always bring their A-game. They let down from time to time. Lesser teams beat better teams three or four times every week. It is how Vegas makes money.

The Patriots are for real. They are a complete team. Drake Maye did not have his finest game against the Houston Texans – and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Houston has the best defense in the league. Just look what they did to future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, the week before.

The weather conditions were also abysmal. Maye fumbled four times and lost two of them. But when the Patriots needed it most, Maye made the plays that needed to be made. He made a clutch 4th down pass to Demario Douglas on New England's second drive (after a quick three-and-out on their first drive) that resulted in a touchdown. And then he made a perfect touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte which resulted in one of the greatest catches in Patriots' history.

It was plays like Boutte's that makes this team special. When the Patriots need a play, they make it. If one player struggles, the rest of the team picks up the slack. If rookie Will Campbell struggles pass protecting, Maye makes plays with his feet. If Maye struggles with his accuracy, his receivers make great catches like Boutte, Diggs, or Henry – even rookie Kyle Williams. If the offense turns the ball over deep in their own territory, the defense buckles down and forces a turnover or gets a key fourth down stop.

Every week it is a different hero. One clap.

This week, Carlton Davis made two key interceptions. One clap.

Some weeks it was Rhamondre Stevenson. One clap.

There was a stretch of games where it was TreVeyon Henderson. One clap.

Early in the season, Robert Spillane was racking up double-digit tackles. One clap.

A couple of weeks it was Marcus Jones with huge punt returns. One clap.

This team may be a team of destiny, just like the 2001 Patriots team were. Nobody expected much from that 2001 team, either. That team saw their franchise quarterback suffer a life-threatening injury in the second week of the season.

The season was over before it even began in many people's eyes, including mine. In stepped a sixth-round draft pick from the year before – one who was relegated to fourth-string QB his entire rookie year– named Tom Brady.

The rest is history.

A two-decade dynasty was born that year with a Super Bowl victory over the heavily-favored Rams.

The 2025 Patriots are hoping history repeats itself – including beating the Rams.